This soup is a little spicy and a lot delicious! With an infusion of Thai flavours, this soup is the perfect cold weather dish to keep you warm.
Serves: 4
INGREDIENTS
SOUP
vegetable oil
1 large butternut squash, peeled, cubed, seeds removed (I used a squash that was about 1 foot tall)
2 carrots, cut into rounds
toasted sesame oil
1 yellow/brown onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 thumb of ginger, minced
3 tablespoons panang curry paste
2 chicken or veggie stock cubes
¼-⅓ cup cream (I used oat cream, but you could use coconut, soy, dairy, etc... as long as it is not sweetened) salt and pepper to taste
coriander/cilantro
SESAME GARLIC BREAD
4 slices bread (I prefer sourdough)
3 cloves garlic cloves, crushed
3 tablespoons toasted sesame oil (use more if this is not enough to cover your slices)
sesame seeds (I used raw but you can use toasted)
pinch sea salt
pinch white pepper
METHOD
Soup:
1. Preheat oven to 400ºF/200ºC and line a baking tray with foil (alternatively you can use a large unlined glass baking dish).
2. Place the squash cubes and carrots on your baking tray and drizzle with some oil (enough to coat the veggies, so a couple tablespoons), and sprinkle lightly with sea salt. With clean hands toss together the veggies to coat them, and spread them in a single layer on the tray.
3. Bake for 40-50 minutes, stirring half way. Remove from the oven once they are softened and starting to brown.
4. While the squash and carrots are cooking, in a large pot, cook the onions with 2 tablespoons of sesame oil over medium heat. Once onions are light golden, add garlic and ginger and continue to stir until they are softened.
5. Stir in panang curry paste and crushed stock cubes. Stir until fully incorporated then remove from heat and wait until squash is done.
6. Once the squash and carrots are ready, add them to the pot and return to medium heat. Add 2-3 cups of water, or enough to come just to the top of the veggies in the pot. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook covered for 30 minutes.
7. Using an immersion blender*, blend the soup until smooth and stir in cream. Add salt and pepper to taste.
8. Garnish with bread (recipe below) and a heap of fresh coriander. (If you don't like coriander you can leave the soup plain or garnish with finely sliced green onion instead.)
Bread:
1. Mix garlic and oil in a small bowl and brush over the bread. 2. Sprinkle lightly with sesame seeds, sea salt, and white pepper, then toast until light golden and crisp.
3. Slice in half and serve with soup, or chop into squares and use as soup croutons.
Enjoy!
*If you do not have an immersion blender, simply allow soup to cool slightly then blend in a vented blender until smooth (you can use a dish towel over the blender opening so it allows steam to escape but does not splash. Just be careful to not burn yourself on the steam. Be sure to do this safely and do not put hot liquids into a blender that has no ventilation! <3
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